Page:Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1993 from Government Gazette.djvu/18

34   No. 15466

(3) A member of Parliament shall not be liable to any civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages by reason of anything which he or she has said, produced or submitted in or before or to Parliament or any committee thereof or by reason of anything which may have been revealed as a result of what he or she has said, produced or submitted in or before or to Parliament or any committee thereof.

(4) There shall be paid out of and as a charge on the National Revenue Fund to a member of the National Assembly or the Senate such salary and allowances, and upon his or her retirement, or to his or her widow or widower upon his or her death, such pension and pension benefits as may be prescribed by an Act of Parliament.

Penalty for sitting or voting when disqualified by law

56. Any person who in terms of this Constitution is disqualified to sit as a member of a House and who, while so disqualified and knowing that he or she is so disqualified, sits or votes as a member of a House in question, shall be liable to a penalty determined by the rules and orders for each day on which he or she so sits or votes, which may be recovered for credit of the National Revenue Fund by action in a court of law.

Joint sittings of Houses

57. (1) Whenever necessary the National Assembly and the Senate shall convene in a joint sitting, which shall be presided over by the Speaker, the President of the Senate or any other member of the National Assembly or the Senate as may be determined by the rules and orders.

(2) While presiding at a joint sitting the Speaker, the President of the Senate or the other member presiding, shall not have a deliberative vote, but shall have and exercise a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

(3) Without derogating from the power of Parliament to regulate its business and proceedings, the President of the Republic may, whenever he or she deems it desirable, request by message to the Speaker and the President of the Senate that a joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate be convened.

Rules and orders

58. (1) The National Assembly or the Senate may make rules and orders in connection with the conduct of its business and proceedings, and the National Assembly and the Senate may make joint rules and orders in connection with the conduct of their joint business and proceedings, including rules and orders regulating—

the establishment, constitution, powers and functions, procedures and duration of committees of Parliament; restrictions on access to such committees; the competency of any such committee to perform or dispose of its business and proceedings at venues other than the Houses of Parliament; and the designation of members of the National Assembly and the Senate as presiding officers to preside over sittings of the National Assembly or the Senate or joint sittings of the National Assembly and the Senate, as the case may be, as and when the Speaker or the President of the Senate so requires.

(2) For the purposes of exercising its powers and performing its functions, any committee established under subsection (1)(a) shall have the power to summon persons to appear before it to give evidence on oath or affirmation and to produce any documents required by it, and to receive representations from interested persons.

Ordinary Bills

59. (1) An ordinary Bill may be introduced in either the National Assembly or the Senate and shall for its passing by Parliament, subject to subsection (2), be required to be adopted by each House.